


A Night with Crows

by garrettwalker



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, anti-capitalist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-17 09:21:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13656084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/garrettwalker/pseuds/garrettwalker
Summary: AU where Itachi Uchiha chooses not to be a class traitor.





	A Night with Crows

**Author's Note:**

> If I don't mention it then it's still the same as canon but I don't know who Boruto is.

Shisui and Itachi Uchiha stood watching water rush down a waterfall. Shisui’s eye bleed red tears. “Danzō's ninja have already stolen my eyes. Who knows what he’s using them for.” Shisui said. “It’s up to you, Itachi. You have use the technique we’ve been developing.”  
                Then Shisui succumbed to his wounds and fell into the waterfall.

                Itachi walked numbly through the village to reach his home. As he entered the Village Hidden in the Leaves, a person wearing the painted mask of a dog approached him. The mask ninja handed Itachi a letter bearing Danzō Shimura’s personal seal. “Lord Danzō is summoning you. Report immediately for briefing.”  
                Itachi Uchiha asked, “What is this about?”  
                The courier said, “You think they’d tell me that?” before disappearing into a cloud of smoke.

                Danzō Shimura, head of the Tactical Squad, sat at a table alone on a tall balcony. He wore bandages over his left eye and arm. “Thank you for joining me, Itachi. I trust I am not inconveniencing you.”  
                The balcony on which they spoke looked over the village, with the carved images of the four Shadows of Fire close by on the horizon. Itachi’s eyes followed the horizon until he saw the main gate leading into the Uchiha Clan’s community. He accepted the offer of tea in silence. Itachi could tell based on the odor, color, and viscosity of the tea that it wasn’t poisoned.  
                “I have brought you here to give you one command. You know that the Uchiha clan is planning to overtake the village, we have confirmation of their plotting. That makes them enemies of the village. Your mission is to destroy the Uchiha Clan. In its entirety.”  
                Itachi gasped, “You cannot truly be commanding me to—”  
                “I am ordering you to do what is best for the village. We could send the rest of the Tactical Squad to put down the rebellion before it begins, but such open warfare would be seen as weak by foreign nations, and could lead to outside threats. You must do it, but you may choose a survivor. Tell that one survivor you did it to test your power, and challenge them to chase you.”  
                “Wouldn’t it also show weakness to be unable to defend your own people from one person doing harm on that scale? Whether it’s openly admitted or not, you would have blood on your hands Danzō.” A tear welled in Itachi’s eye and he paused his sentence. He held back the tear and continued. “No Danzō, I would have blood on my hands!”  
                Danzō’s expression pierced spears of disgust toward Itachi in response to his words. “You dare to question me? I am you commander. Follow your orders, Itachi Uchiha. You have 48 hours to complete your mission. You are dismissed.”  
                Itachi did not turn to leave. His voice was lower, though no calmer when he asked “And what would you do with the bodies when they’re gone? With all those Copy Wheel Eyes?”  
                Danzō stood from the table and two masked ninja appeared in puffs of smoke behind him. One of them was the one who had delivered Itachi the letter. Danzō’s voice was harsh, “I said, you are dismissed, Itachi.”

                When Itachi finally reached his home, he was greeted excitedly by his younger brother, Sasuke.  
                “Brother, can you help me practice that shuriken technique? I think I’m pretty good but I could really use some pointers.”  
                Itachi poked Sasuke in the forehead gently and smiled, “Not today Sasuke, sorry.”

                Fugaku Uchiha, leader of the Uchiha Clan, awaited his oldest son in the next room. When Itachi entered, the room was illuminated by what moonlight blew in with the breeze through an open window.  
                “So you’ve spoken with Danzō?” Fugaku asked.  
                Itachi replied, “Yes. I can spare Sasuke if I complete his plan to exterminate the clan.”  
                Fugaku’s expression showed surprise; not of preference nor horror. “Choose to align with your brethren and almost surely plunge the village into war; or betray your friends and family to insure the survival of one of the ones you hold most dear. In the scenario where you side with Danzō, I could die knowing my two sons survived. Only a monster such as Danzō can cast that into the world, but maybe I too am a monster for what part I’ve had in it all. But now you see, if we could gain power we could combat Danzō and then this wouldn’t be a problem.”  
                Itachi again felt tears springing across his eyelids. He wiped them away. “But that doesn’t fix the issue, that just means someone else will come and do what Danzō is doing.”  
                “I trust you to make the correct decision, son. And I am sorry I have put you in this position, but it is all for the good of the village and the clan.”

                Itachi sat atop the hill overlooking the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The sky was dark blue and the village could be seen mostly through streetlamps and what light escaped from open windows. Then Itachi could smell smoke and jumped to his feet. Shuriken in hand, he turned to see the leader of his village, the leader of his village, the ninja known as the Third Shadow of Fire – Hiruzen Sarutobi.  
                “Hello, Itachi.” Hiruzen said, puffing away at a pipe. The smoke stunk like a burning skunk.  
                Itachi returned his blade to its holster at his waist but remained standing. “Hello, Lord Third. What brings you here this time of evening?”  
                “My job is dreadfully boring, young Uchiha, and my old knees sometimes need to get up from that cramped desk. You look like you’re deep in thought, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned in all my years, the best way to make a choice is to air it out with as many people as possible.”  
                “I don’t know what I’m at liberty to share,”  
                “There’s nothing you can say that could embarrass me, and I have few secrets.” Hiruzen offered the pipe to Itachi who politely refused.  
                “I am being forced to resolve two contradicting forces. They have irreconcilable differences, and I personally don’t agree with either side’s solution. Danzō wants a world without Uchiha, but all my father wants is an Uchiha to serve as Shadow of Fire.”  
                “And what do you want?” Hiruzen asked.  
                “I want an end to the entire system which only rewards the most powerful!” Itachi raised his voice.  
                “Then what is something you can do to help create the world you wish to see?” The wise old man said.  
                The sun was fully set now and instead more distant stars hung in the dark. Itachi looked into the dark forest surrounding them. Wind blew leaves into the air, and somewhere a crow was cawing gently. Itachi thanked the ninja known as the Shadow of Fire for his time. “Can I ask you to return to this same spot? In the early evening, just before dusk? I have my own option I’d like to try out.”  
                Hiruzen enthusiastically agreed.

                The next afternoon Itachi and Lord Sarutobi met again and waited in silence for their guests to arrive.

                First, Danzō appeared among the branches, followed by Itachi. When he saw the two Itachi’s he felt off guard. Then Fugaku appeared, also accompanied by Itachi. The second and third embodiments of Itachi dispersed into a murder of crows. The birds sailed on their heavy black wings up into the trees.

                A single crow among the many gave a long caw.

                Fugaku opened his mouth to speak, but his son interrupted him. “I brought you all here so we can settle this once and for all.”  
                Danzō turned, as if to leave. “The child thinks we just need to sit at tea and talk it out.”  
                Fugaku looked to his son, “You don’t understand the gravity of the situ-“  
                Itachi stared at his father, his eyes in the form of the red Copy Wheel Eye.

                “Contemptuous child! I thought you were supposed to be a genius, but if you thought you could trick us into—” Danzō shouted.  
                “Don’t speak to my son that way,” Fugaku commanded.  
                Danzō spat an insult.  
                Enraged, Fugaku Uchiha breathed in sharply, then breathed out and shouted, “Great Fireball Techni-” However, the air caught in his throat, and instead of a fireball, the leader of the Uchiha clan spat out first the beak of a black oily crow. With great discomfort, the rest of the bird forced its way out of Fugaku’s throat. It fell to the ground with a thud before flying away to join its brethren in the trees.

                “It’s been an illusion the whole time!” Danzō shouted.  
                As he said so, the sun was replaced with a white moon and red stained the entire sky. More and more crows flocked to their arboreal balcony and began to caw with force. There were more feathers in the branches than leaves. The black of their wings seeped down the trunks and into the ground, staining all it touched like oily blood.

                “A powerful Illusionary Technique,” Fugaku said, complimenting his son’s skills. “But it changes little. You have seen from Danzō’s own mouth his unwillingness to cooperate. Trapping us here in this hell world of your imagination only complicates the matter.”

                Itachi asserted himself, “Both of you told me to do something I did not feel was right. Father, I share your pain for the way our people have been treated, but I don’t have faith in your solution. We cannot simply take over their positions, we must do more to change the world in which we live. Not only that, but Lord Sarutobi is willing to negotiate, he feels for our situation. We could—with a little imagination—settle this conflict without bloodshed.”  
                “I swore to help all people of the leaf village, not just the ones in power.” Lord Sarutobi said.

                Itachi turned to Danzō, “And my question for you, is why you’re so set on settling this contradiction with violence? The Uchiha clan has valid concerns, why do you resist their requests for emancipation.”

                “I am protecting the village! Everything I do is for the village!” Danzō called agitatedly.  
                Itachi cut in sharply, “Both of you have been saying that all day. You have been using ‘for the village’ to mean very different things. You use it in the abstract; it holds no material meaning. So, when you say that what do you mean? Do you seek power for the village? Or only for yourself?”  
                Danzō regained his cool; he smiled slightly as he said, “There is no difference.”

                “This illusion has another power, one of Shisui’s creation.” Itachi performed several hand seals. “This technique will show us your plan, Danzō! You are a man of many secrets, we can only hope this technique uncovers the right one.” Then the mass of birds began to flap their wings. The ensuing gust blew away the cloth and bandages covering Danzō’s left eye and arm. In the eye was a Copy Wheel Eye. On his left shoulder and along his arm there were pockets which appeared similar to eye sockets.  
                Fugaku recognized instantly, “There are several techniques known to the Copy Wheel Eye to be so powerful that they strip the user of their vision. Certain Uchiha members have been known to slay their best friends or closest family members to gain the use of these powerful tools. Ironic! The only part of us you wish to accept into yourself is our most ancient and avaricious taboo! And on what monstrous scale!”

                Danzō pulled the cloth back to his shoulder. “Let’s see if Itachi’s illusion can trump even the power of this—” But Danzō too felt his throat clogged by feathers as he tried to channel chakra into his stolen eye.

                Hiruzen turned to Fugaku and took off his red Fire Shadow hat. “Fugaku, I think we can see eye to eye here. If nothing else, we have common ground in opposing whatever it is Danzō is attempting to do.” He held out his hand.  
                Fugaku shook, “We can discuss in detail later, but I think we can settle to a treaty. I will hold you to your words today, as Shadow of Fire.”

                When the two men shook hands, another long caw filled the air.

                Then they awoke from the illusionary technique. The sky which was in the illusion a menacing red color, was now a blue dusk. The ground was expunged of the bloody oil, and left instead with dew settling on green grass. Many crows remained in the trees, thought their numbers had lessened. Or had they?

                Danzō stood still, his eyes gazing outward over the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

                Fugaku turned to his son, “That was an astounding technique, my son.”  
                Itachi looked at his father with grey, sightless eyes. Tears flowing down his face he said, “Thank you, father. It’s an altered version of the Moon Reader Technique. Shisui wanted to call it ‘A Night with Crows’. Danzō’s going to be standing there until he agrees to shake hands with you two—in the illusion I mean.”

                Fugaku approached Danzō to look under his bandages, but then Danzō’s masked followers appeared in clouds of smoke and leaped into the air to attack. Fugaku performed the hand seals for Great Fire Ball Technique, but Hiruzen had already summoned his Adamantine Staff. The staff extended in one direction to press into Fugaku’s chest, knocking him off balance. Fugaku’s fire ball soared high into the sky, missing the targets. The other end of the staff stretched toward the newcomers. With one heavy swipe, he knocked them to the ground as well.  
                “There will be no fighting today!” Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted.

                When Itachi and Fugaku returned home, Sasuke was waiting eagerly. “Itachi can we go practice that shuriken technique-” But the child stopped when he saw his brother’s eyes.  
                Itachi closed his grey eyes to avoid showing them to his brother. Then he poked Sasuke in the forehead and said, “Sorry Sasuke, maybe later.”


End file.
